Second Self Mole Porter. The beer so good I needed a…second helping. That’s right, folks. You see, I first tried this beer from Atlanta’s new Second Self Brewery back in January, while watching a Patriots football game. I had picked up a growler at Stout’s Growlers here in Canton, and I enjoyed the beer almost as much as the game-which is saying something, because I’m a New England Patriots fan.

Anyway, that day was all about the game, and so I didn’t take any notes to share with you about the beer. No worries, since a few weeks later I went back to get a few more growlers for the Superbowl, and Second Self Mole Porter was still on tap. I got another growler, which is also saying something about it, since I passed up some pretty darned good beers in its favor. And you know how fickle we beer geeks can be.

Here’s what the brewery says about the beer on their website:

This is the first of our Second Shift series.  These are one-offs we are brewing, inspired by our surroundings and past experiences. 

This is our award winning chocolate porter with extra spices reminiscent of the oaxacan mole sauce.  We combines California, Pasella, and Chipotle CHILIES with CINNAMON, CLOVES, and COCOA nibs to create this ROBUST porter packed with flavor to warm you up this winter.

Second Self Mole Porter has an alcohol content of 6.5% by volume with 27 IBUs. I paid just $7.75 for a 32-ounce growler at Stout’s.

Second Self Mole Porter pours to a dark brownish black color with a thick creamy tan head formation and a nose of light chocolate and subtle spicy pepper. Taking a sip, the beer has a subtle roasty dark maltiness at first followed by light bittersweet dark chocolate and then a subtle peppery bite. I do get decent vegetal pepper flavor here, more so as the beer warms, but the peppery heat is very subtle. I’d like more in a Mole beer, but to be fair I always want more heat. The cinnamon does not really come through either. The beer finishes dry with a touch of hops, roasted malt and pepper.

So yes, this is a subtly spiced beer, but it’s a damned tasty one folks. I would like more of the pepper and cinnamon, but as it is I really enjoyed the interaction between the heat and flavor of the peppers and the rich chocolate. Second Self says this is a one-off, but I would challenge them to make that untrue and brew this again. It’s very good indeed, and hey, they made a repeat buyer out of me. Not only would I buy it again, I did buy again.

Update 9/3/2017: Second Self Mole Porter is now available in six-packs of cans. I picked one up for $10.99 on August 31st even though Second Self said on their Facebook page the beer was being released on September 1st for 2017. My sixer was canned on 8/11/2017. A pure delight, smooth and chocolaty with hints of clove, cinnamon and a faint chili presence. Might just be my favorite Second Self beer!

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

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